In whatever name, It is a pyramid scheme

A few weeks ago me and my workmate were approached by a lady claiming to be a representative of TVI (Travel Ventures International) which claims to be selling travel packages to people. Apparently you become a consultant with them and sell travel packages. You join by paying a fee of P2, 100, and then you get 8 nights free to a 5 star hotel and discount in car rentals and flight tickets. From there you look for 3 people to join under you for which you will then receive $500 in reward and climb the ladder until you get $10,000.

Well I have been thinking of joining for a while. The company has meetings in the evenings on Sundays. Well before I get ripped off I want to know the real truth. Is this is a multilevel company like Amway?

You are very wise to be cautious. Very wise indeed.

We first reported about TVI in February this year when another consumer asked us a very similar question. I think it’s worth repeating the advice we gave again as a warning to all readers of The Voice.

TVI describe themselves as a Direct Selling company which is just another way of describing Multi-Level or Network Marketing schemes. Others would just describe them as a pyramid-structured selling scheme.

As with all MLM schemes they have a very glossy looking web site that is full of pictures of happy smiling people, rainbows, private jets, sunshine and empty promises. Their main page includes an invitation to find out “how a few extra hours can build a Multi Million Dollar Business for you and your family”.

Elsewhere on their web site, in the Frequently Asked Questions page, is a very interesting item. It poses the question “Do I need to sell any products?”. The answer is worth quoting in full:

“No. You don’t need to sell any products. TVI Express is a unique e-commerce opportunity allowing you to build the Business around the globe sitting at your home. However, we do support leaders who take initiatives to promote the opportunity offline conducting seminars and workshops about the Opportunity.”

So all you do is join, pay them the joining fee of $250, then recruit two other people and money miraculously appears from nowhere?

TVI is a classic pyramid scheme. What you do is recruit two other people, encourage them each to recruit another two and so on down the pyramid. Every recruit must pay the $250 entry fee and those amounts soon mount up. Once you’ve recruited 3 levels beneath you (15 victims, 6 who have recruited others) you get $250 cash and a $250 holiday voucher. But that’s after TVI have earned a total of $3,750. Your $250 isn’t much of a reward is it?

Your network must grow even more if you want to get to the next reward level. They claim that when you have 7 levels beneath you (255 people, 127 recruiting others beneath them) they’ll give you a massive $10,000. But that’s after TVI has earned a massive $63,750. Again that’s not so impressive is it? But anyway, let’s get real. Do you really think that your team will be able to find 255 people stupid enough to fall for this hogwash?

TVI promise to give you all sorts of vouchers for holidays as you build your network of fools. They promise “incentives ranging from Luxury cars to Private Jets and Splendid Villas in exotic locations around the world” but that’s just another part of the scam. What use is a holiday voucher if you can’t afford to go on holiday?

Like all pyramid schemes TVI WILL fail. Even the “legitimate” MLM schemes like Amway, who at least have products to sell, have been forced to concede that only a tiny minority of people who join make any profit.

TVI is simply unbelievable and should NOT be trusted. It’s a pyramid scheme and I guarantee that if you give them your money you’ll just be throwing it away.

An update

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What a cynical Jurnalist! you write before you research! The reality of a cynical mind has no room for new ideas, so the wise said! This is not a well researched article and it does not live up to the standards of good jurnalism and i will equateyour utterances to great people who made very stupid comments and missed out on great opportunities with their followers! “Radio has no future! Heavier-than-air flying machines are impossible! X-rays will prove to be a hoax!” — Lord Kelvin, British scientist and President of the British Royal Society, 1890. Guglielmo Marconi and the wright… Read more »

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9 years ago

Name (required)

@Mpho, Pyramid ke pyramid mma kana rra

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9 years ago

mmualebe II

Omang wena o kwalan abe o lebala leina lagago , Pyramid or circle tlogela , O tlhokile dikgang tseo ka di kwalang ,The next thing u call TVI hogwash, shame on you , This is an honest business that is legal and some people are jobless out there and ba leka go dira matshelo for their kids , wena o tsamaa o kwala matlakala a ka tvi . if you feel tvi wont work for you ,You are not batswana se aketse babangwe ore it wont work o ise o leke ,Kante legone omang ??We dont need people like you… Read more »

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9 years ago

Kaygee

For those serious about their need to gain financial freedom..Reading this article will mislead you people.I have joined TVI and before i joined i had lot of thoughts about dis business..As of now i m glad and thankful to my Batswana friends who introduced me to dis business. My Asian friends have long told me that, they success lies in their desire to take risk..so peoples if you want 2 join TVI..determination,hard-work and team-work is the way to go in this business..You recruit people and you work with them to even recruit more people, while you keep advancing to the… Read more »

Good people of the beautiful Botswana, do not be fooled by people who come and scam you with their stupid so called investment… I wonder if this stupid pyramid is even registered as a business in Botswana. If I see any of you coming to my doorstep talking about this foolish investment expect a BIg punch on your mouth….. TVI is A BIG SCAM, people please hear me……

I live in Canada. The population of Botswana is immaterial to the equation of success as it pattens to the internet-age of network marketing.

Mind you Botswana can NEVER survive exlcusively on the income it derives from the miniscule 2million people who live in that landlocked, yet rich country of you. So, the WORLD my friend is the market.

I’m glad the first person’s response was in English because I learned so much from it.

Thanks for the narrow-mindedness that spurred this intelligent discussion.

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9 years ago

Name (required)

@Bamenda 1!3!9!27!81!243!729!2187!=10 460 353 203 (about 10.4 Billion ppl). Almost twice the global population. You talk of internet less than 2 billion access internet most of them are kids who cant afford this shit. It takes 6 or seven steps to exhaust all those who can afford this ridiculous pyramid. Live in Canada or Africa makes no difference sweetheart. You have fools so do we, you have prisoners so do we, you have rapists so do we, you have toilets so do we, you have prostituts so do we, you have polution from cars so do we, have a good… Read more »

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9 years ago

Chen-Chan

A pyramid by any architecture is a pyramid…a scheme by any design is a scheme…and the secret aim is to defraud! We do not need research or rocket science to decipher scheming crooks!

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9 years ago

nxu stru!!!!!

So you also have not so inteligent people like Bamenda in Canada. Then I need to adjust my thinking of the so called developed world. Even politics is a pyramid only 1 president and others. Monarchy one king/queen and and the rest. Any business is a pyramid director then a number of departmental managers, senior profesionals, junior profesionals and the down troden mass who keeps your offices look spotless and sparkling.

This TVI is a very stupid pyramid. Pyramid in that you have to go through someone before you can register.

@Mpho — you have only proven that some people cannot anticipate the future. You did NOT prove that TVI Express is legitimate.

@Kaygee — same for you. You prove that TVI Express pays some people. However, how many people did you personally recruit? It requires 200+ people under you for you to be paid $10000… into your eWallet. You should not celebrate or endorse until you see money in YOUR hand (or bank), and maybe never.

@Mpho — you need your eyes checked. Kiyosaki says network marketing is good. He did NOT endorse TVI Express. Your reasoning “Kiyosaki could not endorse a scam” is correct, and he did not. You do not see the truth: TVI Express do not sell things. TVI Express FAQ is very clear “you do not need to sell any products”. Compare to Amway, TVI Express no valid comparison. Amway sells real products. You buy from Amway representative without joining, yes? I buy vitamin. I buy detergent. I buy more Amway stuff. I buy what from TVI Express? Nothing. Only thing I… Read more »

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9 years ago

tutu

@Mpho: I think you need to do a lot of reading, most of the stuff you cite you probably heard it somewhere. For your info business models of IBM and Microsoft are completeley different Bill Gates concentrated on software that can be used in any computer and IBM wanted to sell computers + software to a few individuals). Yes, IBM made a mistake. Its porbably the same mistake that Apple made. Some of the great stuff you cited about things that some people thought where impossible you probably heard them in your meetings and maybe the TVI website. Please note… Read more »

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9 years ago

tutu

@ Kaygee and Bamenda. Thanx to the brain washing, you two have also been hoodwinked by TVI. Kaygee, you talk about you will make your $10000 in two months but dont tell us when you started with TVI? In that period, how many manhours have you put into that? You Bamenda, you talk about numbers only when they favour you. Could you also please be kind enough to give us the numbers (manhours and number of people) that will make you reach? BAGAETSHO, GA KE GAKOLOGELWE OPE E RE A JA A BO A RE TLA RE JE! Even the… Read more »

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9 years ago

Mpho

@TUTU. I have done a lot of reading. and i have not heard what i said from a TVI website! To start, let me say i dont know a lot about TVI, i only heard about it from radio mall, but i wont just dismiss it because i dont really how it works, but now i think i know a lot about Amway, that is why i want to join. If there is someone who has been scammed by TVI may they please share their experience…, it is best that way because i cannot believe anyone who says maths is… Read more »

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9 years ago

DON

Give it a rest already!This was a good article.The name says it all.join at yr own peril.

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9 years ago

Hitman Sakeng

Does the name Barney Madoff ring a bell in any of the readers mind?? Just google his name and you will have plenty of knowledge about pyramid schemes enough to give you a PhD in the area. Well the guy is now booked in a luxury US government five star hotel aka state penitentiary for a cool 150 years courtesy of pyramid schemes. What I enjoy most about him is the vile jokes he is spewing from the government hotel about the morons he conned. Have fun!!!

Mpho… you are a member, yes? Why must someone be in TVI Express to say bad things about it? What will you say after he joined? You will probably say 1) he is not good at promoting his “team” or 2) he is only saying that because he wants to push a different MLM. And if he not in TVI Express, you say “he does not understand. he must join to understand”. Which is what you say now. No matter what he say, you attack. You did not attack any of the facts presented in article. You only “imply” that… Read more »

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9 years ago

nxu stru!!!!!!!!

phirimisi ke phirimisi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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9 years ago

jj

most of u say that it is a pyramid scheme. but just look at facebook or myspace before they started. it just kept on adding up. get 4 people and they will get another for of their own. its just the fact that people are lazy to even recruit. they invest thinking money would come right away without even working. for any business, you have to work your butt off. the article is not well researched. if u look at a corporate, they get all of the money while the people underneath them have a set wage. they also have… Read more »

hey!there is no greed here.my friend paid for me coz i cdnt,i worked hard to move to compensation.i give him his 2.1 and pocket 2.1 ta ta!where is greed then?it is those like u who r driven by fear who discredit network marketing.my free advice is attend meetings,learn,be armed with knowledge then attack.eseng jalo join them.i see u waiting to say i told u so,but tell u what, with tvi o letile lefifi.

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9 years ago

ostergaz

cool article , all i can say is for those of you who joined TVI or like organizations and earned your money back or better, then good for you guys , the only sad thing about all of this is when everything’s done ,the people on the lowest ladder under you will have made zilch hehe , but who cares about that right? its human nature to take what you want and leave S#&* for those you dont know and dont even care about lol

@ootisis — double investment? You mean $250 in eWallet and a code that may be worth $250 if you sold to new recruit? You can sell code to new recruit to join. That means you take money directly from late joiner to program. Make you part of scam. You have sold no product or service, correct? So where does money come from? Or you do not want to know? Also, much trouble in transfering eWallet money to your pocket. Must pay fees. Conversion fees. Program fees. Do not celebrate early. @pat otis — Of course, you think you work hard.… Read more »

@jj – you are mistaken. TVI Express is not MLM or network marketing. TVI Express FAQ says “you do not need to sell any product”. No sales, no marketing. Cannot be MLM or network marketing.

In fact, just other day TVI Express Indonesia Leader Gornawan says “TVI Express is NOT MLM” to reporter. Who do you believe?

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9 years ago

Nidya Astrini

What a nice article. I personally think that TVI should be categorized as illegal, but the thing is, Indonesia doesn’t have legal rule concerning a pyramid scheme, yet. So, we just have to take care of ourselves.
The fact is, TVI does have a license in Indonesia, but it states that the company sells ‘electronic products’ which is absolutely UNTRUE.
Furthermore, Indonesia Direct Selling Association does not recommend people to join this company.
Hope people would listen.

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9 years ago

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